This is the best Peppard performance. Is that saying much? Probably not, but he's fairly mesmerizing as an incredibly ruthless investigator whose superiors "only talk to God." Think "Banacek" without one shred of charm and you'll be about halfway there. The film shows its cheapjack TV movie origins in many ways, but the script is tight and the supporting cast (especially Belford doing a nice Rita Hayworth impression) is way above average. It's always been fashionable to hate Sarrazin, but today he'd be Keanu Reeves. Think about it.
30 Reviews
Not That Bad
BachlorinParadise10 December 2006
Just re-saw The Groundstar Conspiracy after some 20 something years. Always been a big fan of both George Peppard and Micheal Sarrazin, so I was looking forward to this flick. Somewhat out-dated today, but for 1972, it wasn't all that bad. There are twists and turns. Plots and subplots. Action, suspense, drama, and even a little romance thrown in. Humor, at least a few lines, would of helped a lot here. There is a nice surprise sort of ending. Clearly this is not a masterpiece of a cold war thriller like The Spy Who Can In From The Cold or The Ipcress File, but The Goundstar Conspiracy is a nice little entertaining film. George Peppard looked great here and Micheal Sarrazin was in his prime. It's not their best roles, but if you're a fan. it's a good way to spend a rainy night.
Suspense,but....
friff-6248716 August 2018
They shoot spies ,don't they?
dbdumonteil25 January 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This is a movie as easy to watch as to forget but it's quite entertaining.The story is very far-fetched,but in this kind of spy thriller including amnesia ,mysterious conspiracies and who-the-Hell am I? subject,it's the rule of the game.George Peppard tries hard to be evil but he does not always succeed;Michael Sarrazin is the perfect victim/culprit (God only knows) .The love story may seem derivative and it is,but there are enough unexpected twists to sustain interest throughout.The working title ("the plastic man" ) was perhaps a better choice than "The Groundstar Conspiracy "but it might have been a spoiler.
No-Star Mediocrity, The
JoeytheBrit5 May 2002
When George Peppard is the major name' of a movie especially one made in the 70's you may suspect you're on dodgy ground from the off. When his co-stars are Michael Sarrazin a one-trick pony whose career spiralled downwards sometime around 1975 when the trick had been seen too many times and Christine Belford a brief escapee from TV movie hell you know it for a fact.
THE GROUNDSTAR CONSPIRACY is a far-fetched thriller with sci-fi undertones that moves far too slowly, telegraphs most of it's twists' far too early (apart from the big twist at the end, which, believe me, sends this sad effort way off the credibility meter) and suffers from some horribly clunky dialogue. Perhaps a director at the very top of his game may have been able to salvage something, but, unfortunately Lamont Johnson another journeyman whose labours have mostly been in television was never that good a director. Peppard, as a tough, no-nonsense agent, seems to be rehearsing his Hannibal role in THE A-TEAM without the humour, while Sarrazin flashes puppy-dog eyes and tries to look puzzled. Lucky Christine Belford, then: her role calls for her to look bewildered much of the time, and, when she does, she looks completely natural.
Approach THE GROUNDSTAR CONSPIRACY as a mediocre B-movie, ignore its obvious and woefully unrealised ambitions, and you may just wring some drops of entertainment from this old flannel.
THE GROUNDSTAR CONSPIRACY is a far-fetched thriller with sci-fi undertones that moves far too slowly, telegraphs most of it's twists' far too early (apart from the big twist at the end, which, believe me, sends this sad effort way off the credibility meter) and suffers from some horribly clunky dialogue. Perhaps a director at the very top of his game may have been able to salvage something, but, unfortunately Lamont Johnson another journeyman whose labours have mostly been in television was never that good a director. Peppard, as a tough, no-nonsense agent, seems to be rehearsing his Hannibal role in THE A-TEAM without the humour, while Sarrazin flashes puppy-dog eyes and tries to look puzzled. Lucky Christine Belford, then: her role calls for her to look bewildered much of the time, and, when she does, she looks completely natural.
Approach THE GROUNDSTAR CONSPIRACY as a mediocre B-movie, ignore its obvious and woefully unrealised ambitions, and you may just wring some drops of entertainment from this old flannel.
The Groundstar Conspiracy
henry8-317 June 2023
A top secret space research centre is blown up and only one of the scientists, Wells (Michael Sarrazin) surviving. In comes security chief Tuxon (George Peppard) who holds Wells responsible, to interrogate him, but Wells claims he has completely lost his memory.
Perfectly enjoyable and interesting seventies thriller with a sharp plot void of any padding, with decent turns from Sarrazin, Peppard, if a little bit too cold and two dimensional and particularly Christine Belford who takes runaway Wells in. It's an interesting idea - is Sarrazin lying?, is he an alien? And indeed the film has its fair share of decent twists and turns. No masterpiece, but solid fun and worth a look.
Perfectly enjoyable and interesting seventies thriller with a sharp plot void of any padding, with decent turns from Sarrazin, Peppard, if a little bit too cold and two dimensional and particularly Christine Belford who takes runaway Wells in. It's an interesting idea - is Sarrazin lying?, is he an alien? And indeed the film has its fair share of decent twists and turns. No masterpiece, but solid fun and worth a look.
The Groundstar Conspiracy
CinemaSerf27 January 2024
When "Welles" (Michael Sarazin) is caught after an audacious break in to sabotage a top secret government lab, he claims to have been so traumatised by the whole experience and explosive aftermath that he cannot remember anything about who he is, or why his was there. That deduction falls to "Tuxan" (George Peppard) who sets about trying to help his quarry "remember" just who sent him and what their objective was. On the face of it, this is just another one of these standard television conspiracy thrillers, but there is quite a degree of mystery established by an on-form Sarazin and Peppard does rather better than usual as his gritty and hard nosed character starts to make us wonder just who is pulling the strings. Neither lead character are particularly likeable here and but for the occasional gentle interventions of Christine Belford's "Nicole", the whole thing builds to quite a dry and far-fetched enterprise that ran out of steam after the initial curiosity of the amnesiac scenario started to wear thin. It's watchable, but equally forgettable with a title that does it no favours at all.
What was all that about
adrienneenterprises4 June 2023
Whenever I have a watch a film on TV, I always give it a chance until the adverts come on, to make my mind up as to whether I want to watch the rest of it or not. This was a film that drew me in so I carried on watching it, but on reflection, maybe I shouldn't have bothered. The problem is that you don't know whats going on half of the time, and it drags on and on and on. No doubt if you watched it a second time it would make sense, but I didn't want to take the chance there was something better I could be watching. The soundtrack was odd, a bit like you used to hear on The Man From Uncle but with bloops and bleeps added by the best synth money could buy in 1972. I think if you like this kind of film, you should give it a try, but it wasnt for me. I think I once saw a trailer of a TV series on similar lines, but for the life of me, I can't recall what it was. Maybe this was the TV movie of that? Well acted well produced, but well.....i dont know.
"I would plant a bug in every bedroom in the country"
bkoganbing17 January 2013
The Groundstar Conspiracy is your average spy thriller with George Peppard as the ruthless investigator from an unnamed government agency and Michael Sarrazin as a scientist who is the only survivor of a lab explosion at a top secret US space program called Groundstar. Peppard knows that Sarrazin is not who he says he is. But how did he get clearance in the place, what may or may not have been taken from the lab that the explosion covered up are the questions Peppard has answers for. Because Sarrazin's memory has been wiped clean.
The key character in The Groundstar Conspiracy is Peppard as a ruthless government investigator, a man who could be J. Edgar Hoover if given half a chance. That title phrase comes from Peppard's mouth who would like to bug every bedroom in the country for security's sake, better to ferret out would be subversives.
Of course Peppard plugs up his security leak, but Sarrazin, freedom, and Sarrazin's freedom pay a price.
The Groundstar Conspiracy has some interesting notions to put forth, but the productions values are pretty skimpy. Christine Belford as a woman that Peppard's using to keep tabs on Sarrazin has her role very poorly defined. The players do their best, but the film's general mediocrity weighs heavily on their work.
The key character in The Groundstar Conspiracy is Peppard as a ruthless government investigator, a man who could be J. Edgar Hoover if given half a chance. That title phrase comes from Peppard's mouth who would like to bug every bedroom in the country for security's sake, better to ferret out would be subversives.
Of course Peppard plugs up his security leak, but Sarrazin, freedom, and Sarrazin's freedom pay a price.
The Groundstar Conspiracy has some interesting notions to put forth, but the productions values are pretty skimpy. Christine Belford as a woman that Peppard's using to keep tabs on Sarrazin has her role very poorly defined. The players do their best, but the film's general mediocrity weighs heavily on their work.
A suitable thriller is assigned an asterisk owing to one major character
I_Ailurophile24 April 2024
Well, the last thing I expected when I sat to watch, knowing nothing about the film or L. P. Davies' novel, was that the character of top-billed George Peppard, unspecified government agent Tuxan, would turn out to be a straight-up fascist. Moreover, as the tale eventually sets Tuxan, with his mind games and subtle manipulation, against figures of more heavy-handed abject violence, we as spectators are supposed to cheer him on despite the underhanded brutality of his own methods, ugliness that is not truly unique from those of the "antagonists." Was it Davies' intent from the outset to suggest tacit support for the worst people in the world, or was it the intent of screenwriter Douglas Heyes, or filmmaker Lamont Johnson? Are we really supposed to egg on a goon just because they're nominally aligned with our contemporary nation-state? 'The Groundstar Conspiracy' would be a common, unremarkable, blueprint thriller in a world where George Orwell's Mr. O'Brien reigned supreme, where predominant politics would hold that innocence is nothing more than a pretense for corruption that's not yet been revealed, or instilled; where people are nothing but tools to be exploited and disposed of; and where any means are justified for any end. In our world, it's not so easy to derive entertainment from a piece where we're seemingly meant to root for an unreservedly awful person.
In fairness, the picture gives us another character, Michael Sarrazin's, who quickly becomes meaningfully, deservingly sympathetic; then again, we viewers are not concretely given satisfaction when all is said and done, and any rebuke to Tuxan that is written into this is soft and scarcely more than lip service. True, in all other regards this is well made. Setting aside the elevation of Tuxan and his methods, the plot is duly compelling, and the scene writing is quite strong. I think some parts of the narrative could be tightened, with greater connectivity between ideas, but the foundations are solid. From filming locations to production design and art direction the basic visuals are swell, and the stunts and effects superb. All involved give excellent performances, including Peppard and Sarrazin, and certainly also Christine Belford. At its best this offers fine tension and suspense, and the sense of thrills we desire. And I'm actually of the mind that the top highlight in this ninety-odd minutes might be Paul Hoffert's music - themes of synth-driven sobriety and fleet-footed jazz that tastily complement the action, and the mood at any given time, while themselves nestling deep within our ears and wresting a noticeable fragment of attention away from the rest of the feature. I'm not saying Hoffert's score is a revelation, but it is striking, and most welcome.
And still I'm stuck on how 'The Groundstar Conspiracy' positions Tuxan as a hero despite his viciousness and never completely takes that away from him, no matter how deep his wickedness runs. No, not every story has a happy ending; some wonderfully absorbing stories definitively end in a virtuous protagonist's defeat. Life is not so simple, cut, and clean as fiction where earnest, good-natured people frequently eke out a lasting victory. That's just the point, though: in a world where malice and cruelty are their own ends for the worst of people who purposefully trample the vulnerable while destroying crucial societal institutions, why would we want to watch a movie that cuts so close to home, and in which a central, uplifted character is defined by that same inhumanity? Just as much to the point, the types of stories and figures that we create, consume, and celebrate is indicative of where we are as a person, or as a people. It's one matter to find value in a hero who has their own flaws, or in an outright anti-hero; I would find it disturbing for a person to take delight in the activities of this title's Tuxan just a much as I would for a person to fervently enjoy playing murderous villains in a role-playing game. Ultimately the true worth of this film may arguably be not so much in the watching of it, but in watching the watchers to see how they react.
I don't dislike this, but the appreciation it might earn has at least as much to do with the scrutiny and discussion that follows from it, if not more, as from the actual viewing experience. Usually about now I'd say that I'm glad for those who get more out of it than I do, but for the very particular reasons I've highlighted, that isn't necessarily the case this time. Maybe I'm being too cynical and jaded, and maybe my perspective on 'The Groundstar Conspiracy' is overly harsh. The impression it gives off to me does not come out of nowhere, however, and so I regard it with some trepidation. If it's a thriller you want, it's a thriller you'll get; I'm just of the mind that between some looseness in the plot and its development, and and above all the way that Tuxan is treated throughout and all the way to the end, the legacy of this flick stews in murk, and any especial recommendation is hard to come by. I won't say "don't watch"; I will say "if you choose to watch, do so with a mind for critical thought and analysis." Take that as you will.
In fairness, the picture gives us another character, Michael Sarrazin's, who quickly becomes meaningfully, deservingly sympathetic; then again, we viewers are not concretely given satisfaction when all is said and done, and any rebuke to Tuxan that is written into this is soft and scarcely more than lip service. True, in all other regards this is well made. Setting aside the elevation of Tuxan and his methods, the plot is duly compelling, and the scene writing is quite strong. I think some parts of the narrative could be tightened, with greater connectivity between ideas, but the foundations are solid. From filming locations to production design and art direction the basic visuals are swell, and the stunts and effects superb. All involved give excellent performances, including Peppard and Sarrazin, and certainly also Christine Belford. At its best this offers fine tension and suspense, and the sense of thrills we desire. And I'm actually of the mind that the top highlight in this ninety-odd minutes might be Paul Hoffert's music - themes of synth-driven sobriety and fleet-footed jazz that tastily complement the action, and the mood at any given time, while themselves nestling deep within our ears and wresting a noticeable fragment of attention away from the rest of the feature. I'm not saying Hoffert's score is a revelation, but it is striking, and most welcome.
And still I'm stuck on how 'The Groundstar Conspiracy' positions Tuxan as a hero despite his viciousness and never completely takes that away from him, no matter how deep his wickedness runs. No, not every story has a happy ending; some wonderfully absorbing stories definitively end in a virtuous protagonist's defeat. Life is not so simple, cut, and clean as fiction where earnest, good-natured people frequently eke out a lasting victory. That's just the point, though: in a world where malice and cruelty are their own ends for the worst of people who purposefully trample the vulnerable while destroying crucial societal institutions, why would we want to watch a movie that cuts so close to home, and in which a central, uplifted character is defined by that same inhumanity? Just as much to the point, the types of stories and figures that we create, consume, and celebrate is indicative of where we are as a person, or as a people. It's one matter to find value in a hero who has their own flaws, or in an outright anti-hero; I would find it disturbing for a person to take delight in the activities of this title's Tuxan just a much as I would for a person to fervently enjoy playing murderous villains in a role-playing game. Ultimately the true worth of this film may arguably be not so much in the watching of it, but in watching the watchers to see how they react.
I don't dislike this, but the appreciation it might earn has at least as much to do with the scrutiny and discussion that follows from it, if not more, as from the actual viewing experience. Usually about now I'd say that I'm glad for those who get more out of it than I do, but for the very particular reasons I've highlighted, that isn't necessarily the case this time. Maybe I'm being too cynical and jaded, and maybe my perspective on 'The Groundstar Conspiracy' is overly harsh. The impression it gives off to me does not come out of nowhere, however, and so I regard it with some trepidation. If it's a thriller you want, it's a thriller you'll get; I'm just of the mind that between some looseness in the plot and its development, and and above all the way that Tuxan is treated throughout and all the way to the end, the legacy of this flick stews in murk, and any especial recommendation is hard to come by. I won't say "don't watch"; I will say "if you choose to watch, do so with a mind for critical thought and analysis." Take that as you will.
Hard To Follow...
dungeonstudio23 October 2021
For some reason I like this movie, and watched it a few times. But it seems the more I watch it, the more confused I get? And hard not to give a ton of spoilers in doing so. But as a movie to how bad can invasion of privacy and monitoring by the American government can get, I'd say this was well ahead of its time! Peppard is overly cocky and confident as the chief investigator to this mass explosion that destroys a secret underground lab near a wilderness community among the Rockies. He seems the one to 'police the police', and is unrelenting in letting other officials and authorities stick their nose into his investigation. The lone survivor believed to be the saboteur appears at this woman's cottage(?) badly injured with his face burned off. He's taken to an elaborate facility and stitched back together (revealing Sarrazin) But he can't remember anything? He's constantly grilled why he went to that woman's place after the explosion, and is she a conspirator too? He honestly doesn't know, other than he was looking for help. And why would she call the police on him then? Peppard is still leery of the two, and lets Sarrazin think he's escaped after a hospital transfer gets thwarted. Sarrazin makes his way secretly back to the woman's house knowing she's under surveillance still. But convinces her to hear him out that he's totally amnesiac and doesn't believe he is in any way part of a conspiracy to destroy this secret base. She believes him, and takes pity on him to help regain some of his memory, all while trying to seemingly elude Peppard and his recapture of Sarrazin. The 'whos' and 'whys' and 'whats' start to get pretty muddled as to the purpose of this base, who was going to benefit from its secrets, and who allowed such a rouge element into the project to begin with? So again, without giving spoilers away, the movie veers onto all these different courses, and Saarazin and the woman may not be such a threat after all? But the chilling part is in how they were used in the whole scheme of things. Rightfully or wrongly? That's the chilling, and somewhat hard to accept ending to it all. Dare I compare it to Paul Bartel's nutty 'Not For Publication' movie - but it almost follows the same threads. Crime, conspiracy, and political righteousness all get tangled up in this ball of wax. And by the end when you think there's going to be some hardcore justice and the 'good guys win' it doesn't exactly turn out that way. There's resolve - but is it truly ethical? I'd say both movies have good intent, weave an intriguing mystery, but gets lost in its cloak & dagger business by getting overly complex and non-explanatory, or just downright silly and hard to believe. Yet as we all know well now, fact can usually be stranger than fiction. Is 'justice' and true closure ALWAYS needed?
the big issues
RanchoTuVu21 August 2006
A super secret government space program laboratory known as Groundstar gets blown up while a woman, (Christine Belford) whose parents have recently died and is also recently divorced tries to find some solace for her shattered life in the summer house she was left in the will which just happens to be in the direct vicinity of the above mentioned lab. The lone "survivor" of the explosion stumbles to her house with a disfigured face followed by government security guru George Peppard and his crew who take him away to a high security hospital. Was he responsible for the explosion? The next time we see him, he turns out to be Michael Sarrazin. And what follows is a moderately intriguing story that delves into some of then, today's, and for all times big issues, such as unchecked government surveillance, brutal interrogation techniques, and brainwashing. The deft intermingling of personal elements with the government security apparatus and some political and public relations angles makes for a fairly sophisticated and complex movie.
Damp squib thriller
Leofwine_draca25 July 2023
I'm a huge fan of 1970s conspiracy thrillers so I was kind of surprised that I'd never heard of THE GROUNDSTAR CONSPIRACY before I sat down and watched it. Soon enough it becomes pretty obvious as to why this film is so obscure: it's simply not very good, feeling like a low budget potboiler more than anything else. The dramatic stylised opening credits are by far the best thing here and the rest slows down into a talky narrative. George Peppard gives one of his most wooden turns as a cop hunting for a saboteur, and he gets way too much screen time. Michael Sarrazin bags the most interesting role as a kind of proto Jason Bourne, but the whole thing is bagged down with romance and a final twist that feels like a damp squib.
Might have been better with Elliot Ness chasing Dr. Richard Kimble
Cheyenne-Bodie25 July 2006
This film originally had the more evocative title "The Alien". David Janssen was to play the title role with Robert Stack in the George Peppard role.
Talented Douglas Heyes ("Kitten With a Whip", "Captains and Kings", "Aspen"), who wrote the screenplay, was set to direct. David Levinson (the Emmy winning Hal Holbrook series "The Senator") was going to produce.
Genevieve Bujold was originally set to play the Christine Belford role. But, for some unknown reason, Genevieve quit just before production was to start. This delayed the start of filming, and Janssen had to leave since the film was already scheduled to finish just days before he would start his Jack Webb series "O'Hara, United States Treasury".
Apparently they couldn't find an actress hungry or brave enough to come in immediately and replace Bujold. I might have tried to get Sharon Acker, Diana Muldaur, Gena Rowlands, Salome Jens or Rosemary Forsyth to just jump in and do their best.
I think David Janssen could have given the story a more mysterious, magnetic core than Michael Sarrazin did, and Janssen would have had interesting chemistry with any of those five women.
I also think Peter Falk (who was starting "Columbo" the next season) could have been even better than Stack or Peppard as the tough-as-nails investigator.
Steven Spielberg and John Badham were hot Universal TV directors at the time. This might have been an interesting first film for either of those young Turks.
Talented Douglas Heyes ("Kitten With a Whip", "Captains and Kings", "Aspen"), who wrote the screenplay, was set to direct. David Levinson (the Emmy winning Hal Holbrook series "The Senator") was going to produce.
Genevieve Bujold was originally set to play the Christine Belford role. But, for some unknown reason, Genevieve quit just before production was to start. This delayed the start of filming, and Janssen had to leave since the film was already scheduled to finish just days before he would start his Jack Webb series "O'Hara, United States Treasury".
Apparently they couldn't find an actress hungry or brave enough to come in immediately and replace Bujold. I might have tried to get Sharon Acker, Diana Muldaur, Gena Rowlands, Salome Jens or Rosemary Forsyth to just jump in and do their best.
I think David Janssen could have given the story a more mysterious, magnetic core than Michael Sarrazin did, and Janssen would have had interesting chemistry with any of those five women.
I also think Peter Falk (who was starting "Columbo" the next season) could have been even better than Stack or Peppard as the tough-as-nails investigator.
Steven Spielberg and John Badham were hot Universal TV directors at the time. This might have been an interesting first film for either of those young Turks.
Good Thanksgiving Fare (it's a real turkey)
douggers3 November 2008
A top-secret government lab blows up, 1 saboteur (Michael Sarrazin)survives and a super-abrasive, super-tough government super-agent reins Sarrazin in then reels him out like a super-fisherman playing with his catch. All the "suspense" in this movie comes from the fact that Sarrazin can't remember the secret data that's supposedly locked up in his brain and can't even recall who he is working for, while super-agent George Peppard spends nearly the entire film trying to get Sarrazin to cough up said data. Other than the weak and unconvincing interplay between the two principals and Sarrazin's dallying with a lonely widow, there is simply nothing happening in this film. The "action scenes" are about as exciting as watching someone mow a lawn and the big "twist" ending makes little or no sense. The author of all this nonsense must think that having a secret lab blow up, having the blower-up be an amnesiac and having the blow-ees become crispy critters is very exciting, but alas it's not. He doesn't seem to understand that characters need to be more than one-dimensional and stories - even sci-fi thrillers - need to be interesting as well as plausible.
Cheap TV Fare
senob12 July 2022
Christine Belford, I have never seen before but she had the talent to carry every part she was in. They blew right past the fact that George Peppard who was blasting the big wigs for not vetting their people very well didn't do not catch the protagonist's, lead man. Must have made this before George went for the little cigars.
" Thank's for the punch in the jaw, . . . . I deserved it, perhaps even a couple more "
thinker169117 January 2009
There are not too many spy films which can conjure up a team of excellent actors for a movie. This however is one. "The Groundstar Conspiracy" is a dramatic thriller of sorts, except that in this movie, the private company is the target not the country. An explosion in a top secret installation causes a great deal of damage and sets off an investigation to find out who was behind the espionage. Enormous amount of destruction to be sure, but what the chief investigator (George Peppard) Tuxan wants to know is who is behind the sabotage. His only clue is in the form of a single survivor named John Welles (Michael Sarrazin) AKA Peter Bellamy, a man who has no memory of what happened. This is an excellent vehicle for the Cat and Mouse game which follows. The survivor is having tremendous difficulty trying to remember who he is or was and Tuxan is allowing him to struggle while he watches out for any of his friends to come and help him recover. It's an excellent film and one which gives the audience just enough information to follow the hero to the surprising ending. A good film and one which is enhanced by Nicole Devon as Christine Belford and Cliff Potts who plays Carl Mosely. ****
Good little film
hengir26 May 2006
Lamont Johnson worked a lot in television but he also directed some interesting films that should be better known; A Covenant with Death, The McKenzie Break, The Last American Hero, You'll Like My Mother and Lipstick. (Even Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone has its felicities!) The Groundstar Conspiracy is a low budget but fast moving thriller with a few twists and turns until the tense ending. All the elements of music, photography and dialogue are pulled together neatly to serve the narrative's momentum.
The plot may strain a little at the edges but the film is helped along by some good acting. Michael Sarrazin as the accused man is convincing. You can feel his terror and his bewilderment. Sarrazin's face helps, it looks beat about and haunted. George Peppard as the government man gives one of his best performances. A real hard case, driven almost by paranoia, single minded and ready to do anything to keep the state secure. Christine Belford and Cliff Potts are good too. It's a good little film.
The plot may strain a little at the edges but the film is helped along by some good acting. Michael Sarrazin as the accused man is convincing. You can feel his terror and his bewilderment. Sarrazin's face helps, it looks beat about and haunted. George Peppard as the government man gives one of his best performances. A real hard case, driven almost by paranoia, single minded and ready to do anything to keep the state secure. Christine Belford and Cliff Potts are good too. It's a good little film.
Clever, sharply made, well acted Thriller. One of my personal favourites. Rewatchability: Very High DVD: Pretty sharp for a DVD (Anchor Bay, now OOP, but I have it : )
lathe-of-heaven23 July 2015
This is truly one of my all time favourites. I hadn't written a review of it until now because I had been concentrating on newer films, but I just got through watching it again with my Dad. I had almost forgotten how awesome it was. I was VERY fortunate to score the Anchor Bay DVD just before it went OOP. Hard to believe that now it is going for over $70 used, if you can find it.
Anyway, George Peppard has always been one of the coolest guys, at least in his Pre-A Team days, and especially early on (check out some of the Banacek episodes if you have a chance. The Pilot is particularly good. And YES... I do have both the Pilot and 2 seasons : )
Michael Sarrazin has always been pretty slick too, and he is good here. But, it is primarily the great story that REALLY makes this film special. Also, I think the director did a particularly good job in keeping the pace and action very tight and the mood suspenseful and involving. I personally feel that it was one of THE very best Thrillers made around that time. It is much better than it's current rating of 6.x in my lowly and wretched opinion. I easily give it a strong '8'
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! (if you can ever get your hands on it : )
Anyway, George Peppard has always been one of the coolest guys, at least in his Pre-A Team days, and especially early on (check out some of the Banacek episodes if you have a chance. The Pilot is particularly good. And YES... I do have both the Pilot and 2 seasons : )
Michael Sarrazin has always been pretty slick too, and he is good here. But, it is primarily the great story that REALLY makes this film special. Also, I think the director did a particularly good job in keeping the pace and action very tight and the mood suspenseful and involving. I personally feel that it was one of THE very best Thrillers made around that time. It is much better than it's current rating of 6.x in my lowly and wretched opinion. I easily give it a strong '8'
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! (if you can ever get your hands on it : )
Very good!
jeremy321 October 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This is the kind of movie that Hollywood doesn't usually produce. In Hollywood, there has to be a clear distinction between "good" and "evil" to win audiences and revenue. Unfortunately, this destroys a lot of significant films from being made. Groundstar Conspiracy was atypical in that there was a definite blur between "good" and "evil". None more so than in the character of Tuxan, played by the late George Peppard. Peppard plays a government operative who is maniacally obsessed with protecting national security. You like the guy at the beginning, but when he starts interrogating "The Alien" - played by Michael Sarrazin (in the same year played in "Never Given In An Inch", and has a striking resemblance to the singer BJ Thomas), you like Tuxan much less. "The Alien" allegedly committed terrible espionage crimes, but cannot recall due to amnesia. You immediately empathize with "The Alien" as a guy who has to act tough, but you can tell is a regular guy. The whole point of the movie is that Tuxan is dead-set on capturing "The Alien" at all costs. The ending has a strong moral message, and you have to decide whether you agree with what Tuxan does for a living or not. That is the strength of the movie - you have to decide upon morality for yourself (a powerful dilemma in America during the early 70s).
Great spy film
ncewing21 February 2005
This is a great movie to watch especially if you love a good, hard twist in the end. Just when you think you know what the truth is and who the evil bad guys are, the last five minutes takes you in another direction you did not see coming. George Pappard's character's is fantastic as the government troubleshooter willing to go to any lengths to ferret out traitors and moles among top secret government operations. There are a lot of great lines in the film too that helps the viewer to appreciate just how much power the troubleshooter has to protect the country, and scary when you realize he actually needs that much authority to do the job. There is no way they could remake a better movie now unless they filled it with a lot of thrilling action scene or sex scenes. Even if they did, it would not match the psychological thrill of this original.
A man without memory and identity as sole survivor of the destruction of a super classified research plant and the sole bearer of its secrets
clanciai22 August 2018
A super secret space research plant is blown up with all its six responsible members of the team, but one manages to get out of the inferno alive, although there is not much left of him, least of all a face. The story of John Welles, played by Michael Sarrazin, is intriguing indeed, as he finds himself without identity and memory as he is returned to life by extreme surgical efforts supervised by George Peppard as the man in charge of the investigation of the disastrous sabotage. As Michael is the sole survivor and the only one left who could have known about the secrets of the plant and why it was blown up (for the purpose of selling its secrets abroad), George Peppard has every reason to be extremely concerned about his case and bringing not only the survivor back to life but also and above all his memory. This proves more or less impossible.
This is the beginning of the plot, which leads into an abyss of mysteries and thickening intrigue unto the very last moment, when everything clears. It's an ingenious story, and although the environment of the film is dreadful, bunker prisons of mammoth overwhelmingness, it is nevertheless highly recommendable, and there is Christine Belford to add some necessary softer touch to the dreadfulness and inhumanity, which unfortunately is the dominating element of the film; and when Michael finally gets even with George Peppard, even that infallible dictator must admit that he deserved it.
This is the beginning of the plot, which leads into an abyss of mysteries and thickening intrigue unto the very last moment, when everything clears. It's an ingenious story, and although the environment of the film is dreadful, bunker prisons of mammoth overwhelmingness, it is nevertheless highly recommendable, and there is Christine Belford to add some necessary softer touch to the dreadfulness and inhumanity, which unfortunately is the dominating element of the film; and when Michael finally gets even with George Peppard, even that infallible dictator must admit that he deserved it.
A GREAT unknown movie.
kennethruppel19 December 2017
I saw this in its original run in a college theatre. I have never been able to find it anywhere. Frankly, I'm just glad to see that it was remembered in imdb. If anybody can steer me toward a copy, please tell me. It was an independent precursor to Bourne before Bourne became an industry. Peppard is terrific. In fact, everyone is terrific.
Crafty thriller
Woodyanders22 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Ruthless and calculating government investigator Tuxon (superbly played to icy perfection by George Peppard) tries to figure out who's exactly responsible for a break-in at a top secret research facility. The sole lead Tuxon has is the enigmatic John David Welles (a fine performance by Michael Sarrazin), but the guy has amnesia and hence can't remember a thing.
Director Lamont Johnson relates the complex and gripping story at a constant pace, maintains a tough no-nonsense tone throughout, generates a good deal of tension, and stages a few exciting action sequences with skill and flair. The smart script by Douglas Hayes not only neatly explores a pleasingly uneasy line in very cynical 70's dread and paranoia, but also delivers one doozy of a surprise twist at the end. The ace acting by the excellent cast rates as another substantial asset: Christine Belford as the sweet and helpful Nicole Devon, Cliff Potts as smooth press agent Carl Mosely, James Olson as the shifty Senator Stanton, Tim O'Connor as the huffy Frank Gossage, James McEachin as the easygoing Bender, and Alan Oppenheimer as the hard-nosed General Hackett. Michael Reed's crisp widescreen cinematography provides an impressive polished look. Paul Hoffert's dynamic groovy'n'jazzy score hits the stirring spot. An on the money movie.
Director Lamont Johnson relates the complex and gripping story at a constant pace, maintains a tough no-nonsense tone throughout, generates a good deal of tension, and stages a few exciting action sequences with skill and flair. The smart script by Douglas Hayes not only neatly explores a pleasingly uneasy line in very cynical 70's dread and paranoia, but also delivers one doozy of a surprise twist at the end. The ace acting by the excellent cast rates as another substantial asset: Christine Belford as the sweet and helpful Nicole Devon, Cliff Potts as smooth press agent Carl Mosely, James Olson as the shifty Senator Stanton, Tim O'Connor as the huffy Frank Gossage, James McEachin as the easygoing Bender, and Alan Oppenheimer as the hard-nosed General Hackett. Michael Reed's crisp widescreen cinematography provides an impressive polished look. Paul Hoffert's dynamic groovy'n'jazzy score hits the stirring spot. An on the money movie.
Great lesser known film.
wkozak22126 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this when it first came out. I was surprised. The story kept you guessing. The cast was well rounded. It was nice to see Michael Sarazin. It is hard to find his films. The ending will surprise you. I love the set because it is an actual location not a set.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
